Method of producing mouthpieces on cigarettes.



L. H. SONDHEIM. METHOD OF PRODUCING MOUTHPIEOESON GIGARETTES.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 1, 1911.

Patented J an. 2, 1912.

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LEWIS H. SONDHEIM, or NEW YORK, N. \Y.

METHOD OF PBODUCING MOUTHPIECES ON CIGARETTES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

Application filed July 1, 1911. Serial No. 636,369.

To all uihom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEWIS I-I. SONDHEIM, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and Stateof New York, have invented a new and Improved Method of ProducingMouthpieces on Cigarettes, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description. I

The invention relates to mouth-pieces for cigarettes formed by treatinthe tobacco filling at one end with a binding substance,

'so that the tobacco is'bound together or solidified to a degree towithstand the pressure of the teeth in the smoking of the cigarette.

In the present invention I proi ide for producing a series of indirectsmoke passages through the mouth-piece, thereby avoiding the possibleobjection against direct and unobstructed passages that the smokeimpinging on the tongue in concentrated jets may resultin more or lessof a burning sensation. I furthermore by the present invention, maintainthe bulk of the tobacco forming the body of the cigarettes againstcontamination by fumes or gaseous emissions from the binding substancesemployed, and thereby I preserve the normal flavor of the tobacco. Byforming the mouth-piece with numerous indirect and minute passages, themouth-piece is made essentially porous, whereby a large total surface isprovided against which the smoke will impinge in its passage through themouth-piece, and on which surface nicotin and the like will be depositedto a material degree.

Reference is to be-had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of ref holder an airpressure device or pump is employed, a simple bulb 15 in the instanceshown, which bulb communicates with the air chamber 11 through a tube 16and inlet 17, whereby an air pressure may be produced in said'chamber.In connection with the holder and pressure device a receptacle as 18, isemployed for receiving a binding substance, which may be of any suitablematerials, preferably of the kind that become liquid or semi-liquid byheat and will solidify upon -cooling.

I preferably use as a binding material a composition formed'of shellacdissolved in stearin or stearic acid at or near the boiling point of thelatter, or such othr combination of a resinous gum with a modifier ofsimilar wax-like nature, as may produce an equivalent p'roduct.

Any suitable coloring matter may be employed, and to give capacity,finely powdered chalk, talcum, or the like, may be added.

In practice the cigarettes are dipped .in

r the binding substance as far as the outer coating of the mouth-pieceis to extend, and the sald substance will rise on the lnslde asuilicient distance to form the solidified interior.

Concurrently with the dipping I prefer to maintain a slight pressureinthe chamber 11 to prevent any gaseous matter from the binding substancerising into the body of the cigarette, but insuflicicnt to cause the airescaping at the dipped end to inordinately disturb the surface'of thefluid binding material.

Whether the mentioned slight pressure is produced or not duringthedipping, a strong pressure of air is produced as soon as the end ofthe cigarette has been withdrawn from the impregnating material, causingan,

air current to pass through the cigarette from the clear end to theimpregnated end, and sufficient to expel all gases arising from thematerial in the impregnated end, and to forcethe air through said end.

I do not confine myself to producing the current by pressure from theundipped end, and have shown another method of producing the air"current in Fig. 5, wherein suction is applied to the dipped end, causingan air current to pass through the cigarette from the clear end towardand through the dipped end with the same purpose and result.

In passing through the impregnated end the air currents will seekoutlets around and among the particles of tobacco, producing numerousand indirect smoke passages 21 through the mouth-piece 20, so that whenthe binding substance has set to unchangeable form while under theinfluence of said air current, the mouth-piece will have been formedinto an essentially porous and filterlike mass, which mass will besubstantial, solidified and cohesive to withstand the process ofsmoking.

If the binding materials that I employ are not subjected to the aircurrent while fluid, or semi-fluid, the whole mass will be comeimperforate and essentially nonporous wlthout the necessary passages fordrawing the smoke through the mouth-piece in smoking. By employing theair current, however, the necessar smoke passages are produced, whileleavlng the mouth-piece firm, so that the wrapper, the tobacco filling,the binding substance within, and the coating on the exterior of thewrapper, are formed into a homogeneous mouthiece.

When the cigarette is densely pac ed with tobacco at the impregnatedend, the described filling will maintain itself by its contact with thewrapper against ejection by an: moderate air current usedin forming thesmoke passages. But when the cigarette is loosely filled, or in theevent of it being desirable to useTa very strong air current, I preferto use a screen plate 20 or other foraminous or reticulated support Iupon which I place the dipped end of the cigarette before turning on thefull air current, and which will retain the tobacco while allowing theair to pass through.

If the impregnating material leaves a bulge upon the end of the wrapper,I maintain the plate 22 (as shown in Fig. 2) at a temperature which willmelt the bulge so formed, pressing the end of the mouth-piece .severaltimes against said heated plate if required. The use of a heated plate,22, also serves to prevent the mouth piece from sticking to the plate,as is liable to occur when a cold plate is employed.

trance of a scraping tool in cleaning the plate, or it may be, as inFig. 4, a plate with perforations 25.

When employing the apparatus shown in Fig. 5, the cigarettes may besimply held in a block or holder 26 and dipped in the binding materialheld in a vessel such as 18, after which the cigarettes are immediatelycarried and pressed against the plate 27, having perforated seats 28 forthe cigarettes, WhlC ing guides 29. Below the plate 27 and communicatingwith the perforations 28 therein, there is a chamber 30 from which theair may be partially exhausted by an exhaust fan 31, so as to produce acurrent of air downward through the cigarette in the direction of themouth-piece 20, to withdraw all fumes and prevent their rising in the'cigarette, as previously explained. The chamber 30 may be provided witha drip plate 32 for any excess of binding substancethat may be carriedby the mou piece and dropped therefrom, and such excess material may bewithdrawn through a cock 33. I- prefer, however, to employ the methoddescribed 'in connection with Fig. 1, of maintaining a pressure duringthe application of'the binding material and coating, as

seats may advantageously have flarwell as subsequently to the dipping.The

step of removlng the fumes by a current of air is important in any casewhether the smoke orifices are formed by said current or by other means,and whether. the binding substance, or a coating, is applied by dippingor otherwise. Therefore, with respect to my invention of producing anair cur-- rent through thecigarette from the end opposite themouth-piece, I do not confine myself to the formation of smoke passagesby means of the air current, nor to the main taining of pressure duringthe a plication of the coating, nor to the applicationof the coating bydipping, as the step of passing the air current through as stated isapplicable to any cigarettes the mouthiece of which is formed byapplying to't e cigarette or its wrapper a substance which wouldcigarettes, consisting in impregnating an end thereof with a bindingsubstance, and producing'an air current therethrough.

2. The method of forming mouth-pieces on cigarettes, consisting ofimpregnating an end thereof with a binding substance while I maintainingan air current through the-cig' arette, from the opposite end toward theimpregnated end.

3. A method of forming mouth-pieces on cigarettes, consisting inimpregnating an end thereof with a binding substance, producing an aircurrent through the cigarette from the opposite end, and opposing anobstruction to the free outlet of air at the impregnating end except atsegregated points. 4, The method of treating cigarettes in the formationof ,mouth-pieces, consistingin applying at an end thereof a substance toform a coating, and passing a current of air through the cigarette fromthe opposite end to expel any fumes produced by said substance.

' 5. In the production of a mouth piece on.

a cigarette end, the herein-described process consisting in immersingthe end of the ciga- I rette in a substance made fluid by heat and whichsets when cold, withdrawing the immersed end from the said fluid, andsubjecting the said end to heat after its withdrawal from the fluid andwhile maintaining an air current through the cigarette in a direct-iontoward the treated end.

6. A cigarette having a wrapper, waterproof at the mouth end, a filler,and a water proof binding material liquid when heated but solid atnormal temperatures solidifying the filler at the said mouth end, andhaving air-blown passes or openings therethrough providing draftpassages.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEWIS H. SONDHEIM.

Witnesses:

Y J. L. MCAULIFFE,

PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

